Drow
"Thank the gods that so few people are aware of the existence of the Drow" -Dr. Jason van Hellsing Description: Drow are a sub-race of the Elves, but are so distinct and far removed that they are often given their own special classification. One such primary reason for this separate categorization is the changes in appearance form the normal surface-dwelling Elves. Located in the Abandoned Abyss deep below the Earth's surface, the Drow are crammed into tight caves and tunnels, and as such are slightly shorter than their Elven cousins. Drow often stand at a range between 5'7" and 6'. In terms of weight, Drow are generally lighter than normal Elves, their natural physiques favoring agility over martial ability, ranging in weight between 130 lbs and 200 lbs. The first and most prominent difference between Drow and the surface-dwelling Elven races are the Drows' skin color, which can be black, purple, or obsidian (dark blue and black). Drow hair can be black, white, purple, or yellow/grey as the Drow ages. Drow eyes are similarly colored, and can be bright red, black, yellow, or green and brown (although these colors are often seen as a sign of human heritage, and those who inherit them are usually shunned or placed lower in the caste system). Drow eyes can change hue depending on mood and status, turning more red when angry and yellow when under the influence of a spell or poison. Drow are seen as being unusually attractive, even amongst other Elven races, thanks to generations upon generations of eugenics practiced by Drow society in an attempt to exemplify their supposed superiority over the other races. These good looks are often used for manipulation, seduction, and intimidation. The Drow are naturally more intelligent than most other races, including their Elven cousins, but suffer from a number of shortcomings that make this intelligence rather useless. The Drow lack the wisdom or solidity in their civilization to make use of their intelligence beyond small scale military operations. While their smarts allow for incredible feats of technology, alchemy, and magic, it only further boosts their egos. Drow reproduce sexually, like most other sentient species, with the female giving birth to as many as a dozen or more children over the course of her biological ability to do so. This birthrate is caused by a constant drive for more soldiers and nobles amongst Drow society, as the constant wars and conflicts and raids put a strain on the Drow manpower pools. Unlike other Elves, the Drow are intelligent enough to see that the more soldiers the better, and as such prioritize childbirth more than their Elven cousins, although they tend to treat their children much worse. The Drow possess a lifespan very similar to their Elven cousins, the average Drow living up to 1,000 years. The effects of aging—manifesting themselves as the yellowing or greying of the hair, as well as the loss of the child-birthing ability in women—begin at around age 550. A Drow's life can be extended through scientific means, living a life relatively devoid of physical hardship, and/or favor from the Drow god. Personality While it may not be fair to generalize the entirety of the Drow race based on their personality, all of them are equally influenced by the society in which they are raised, and as such possess a number of common traits. There are, however, a number of Drow who do not share all or any of these ideas and traits. All Drow living in a Drow city or society have but one goal in life: success. Drow are some of the most stubborn and determined of individuals, willing to do anything to reach their goals. Drow are raised in a world where even the slightest of mistakes is likely going to prove itself a lethal one, and as such Drow strive for perfection and success. With a moral code based off success and wealth, it is obvious to see how the Drow are willing to murder, steal, backstab, cheat, lie, manipulate, and do whatever else it might take to achieve their goals. Living in a strict caste system where the only way to progress up the social ladder is via schemes and underhanded tactics lends its members to become sneaky and driven individuals. Drow are also infamous for their often untamed anger. A Drow will rarely back down from a challenge, regardless of their chances of success, often caused by their determination or arrogance. Many a Drow soldier have been bested in combat simply by angering them into making a reckless mistake. As individuals led by a sense of superiority, a Drow's honor is sacred, and it takes only a few comments or slandeous remarks to warrant a fight. Drow prefer to solve every issue or obstacle with violence, and, much like the rest of their society, believe that might makes right. The Drow's belief own superiority to the point that many suffer from arrogance, especially when dealing with other races. Even the races whom the Drow view as martial equals are still seen as inferior in all other ways. This arrogance leads Drow to overestimate their own abilities, and underestimate their foes. Playing to this idea will often prove successful in combating the Drow. Their ideas of superiority has lead the Drow down a path of particular cruelty—against both other races and members of their own kind. The Drow believe that all other inferior races deserve nothing more than suffering, torture, and pain for the sin of inferiority. Drow treat their slaves with little regard for their safety or well-being, and enjoy tormenting them. Slaves rarely die of natural causes. Drow prisoners are tortured so relentlessly that it impresses even Demons. The Drow are infamous for their knowledge of torture and pain, enemy combatants often preferring to take their own lives instead of be taken prisoner. Drow even treat their own kind like trash, the aristocracy willing and able to kill anyone of a lower class for no reason. The Drow are seen as evil and sadistic for this high value of cruelty towards others. The Drow are, however, incredibly hedonistic. Thanks to a constant surplus of slaves, the Drow themselves rarely have to undertake any sort of menial labor, and as such even the middle classes spend much of their lives drinking, dining, drugging, and enjoying the finest luxuries of life in the Abyss. The Drow dump an amazing amount of time, effort, and resources into art, music, architecture, theater, literature, and the crafting of expert tools and weapons. Artists are valued by even the biggest of noble houses, the Houses often employing a minimum of 6 experts to create masterpieces for the wealthy aristocrats. Master weaponsmiths capable of producing items perfect enough to be enchanted are valued hih enough to receive special privileges and honors amongst Drow society. Bards are also seen as special, and are employed with a number of benefits and privileges. Drow enjoy hoarding all of their culture and resource as tightly as they can, attemptig to ensure that they hold on to as much as possible for as long as possible. In a society where wealth and power is seen as a greater favor from their god, the Drow are understandably incredibly paranoid. They distrust all other races—including those they view as martial equals—and are quick to turn on anyone they suspect to harbor even the faintest of complaints or dissent. Living in fear of slave rebellions, invasions from the surface world, or losing favor from their god, the Drow are always planning further defenses and plans to avoid as much responsibility as possible, should a plan go awry. No alliance, friendship, or even romantic relationship is safe when a Drow believes themselves to be in danger. Drow are likely to betray even their own family members to get a leg up, and are not afraid to cut ties with any ally over something as silly as a perceived insult or slight. The Drow paranoia often pays off for them, in the end, however. Not all Drow share these ideas, however. An estimated 25% of the Drow population harbors more moderate or outright good views, but often make the mistake of expressing this love and generosity as children, only to have it brutally beaten out of them by members of their family or merchant clan. In a society where love and kindness are seen as a weakness, anyone who demonstrates a readiness to express those feelings or inclinations are either killed or taken advantage of until they are killed. Some Drow manage to escape the confines of their of caste system and join a surface society, but discrimination and racism are rife across the world. Any Elf will almost immediately be hostile to any Drow on sight, and many of the Elven nations and empires send out teams of assassins and spies to covertly kill off any and all Drow that show themselves on the surface—friendly or otherwise. Abilities Drow possess many of the same abilities as their Elven cousins, and are clearly superior to any normal human, almost to the point that it makes their arrogance well-founded. Drow are far stealthier, quicker, and more agile than any human, and are often more agile than even other Elves. Drow are not, however, as physically capable as their cousins, and instead make up for this shortcoming with magical ability. Drow are also capable of seeing heat thanks to their innate infravision, and also possess eyes so finely tuned that they can see perfectly clearly in the pitch darkness of the Abyss. Drow hearing is also beyond any normal Elf, a trait developed by necessity, and allows the Drow to hear oncoming rock slides, cave-ins, and creatures farther down in the tunnels. Drows' sense of smell is far inferior compared to that of other Abyssal creatures, and is the same as a normal human's. Drow also possess an innate ability to carve and manipulate the rock around them, albeit in a capacity far less than the Dwarves. An estimated 70% of Drow possess this ability. The Drow also immunize themselves to most, if not all, poisons and toxins found in the Abyss by taking increasingly high dosages over the course of their lives. Drow are also born with a natural resistance to magic, as well as the ability to detect it—all traits shared with their Elven cousins. Drow are also natural spell casters, and can be taught any field of magic with great ease. Nobles are born with the ability to cast certain spells with nothing more than practice. Drow are severely weakened when placed in sunlight, however, and lose the ability to cast spells altogether. Bright light damages their eyes, temperate temperatures can overheat them, and it takes over a decade of controlled sun exposure to allow a Drow to stand in the sun for more than a few minutes without suffering a terrible sunburn. Even after this period of adaptation, any innate spells are severely weakened, and the Drow must rely on spells that they learned elsewhere. Culture The Drow culture sets its purpose as twofold: subjugate all other races and kill any that fight back, and allow their god, Ludrah, to drive the Elves to extinction. In order to accomplish these missions, Ludrah claimed that the Drow needed to live lives of constant conflict to prepare them for their holy crusades against the other races of the planet. This is how the Drow caste system was developed, and how it remains to this day. Drow believe that obtaining the favor of their god will lead them to greater power and a bigger place in the eventual new world order, and as such view success and the accumulation of material wealth to be a sign of greater preference from their spider goddess. Drow civilization is split up into a number of massive cities, located in various places around the Abandoned Abyss. These cities do not respond to a single centralized government body, as one might expect, but instead answer to the will of the largest local Noble House. Usually, the Houses were determined by whomever arrived in the city's founding spot first and claimed the most land, but history can see the rise and fall of new Houses frequently. Noble Houses live in massive estates that are connected to the main city, although walled-off from the rest of the chaff, and are all centralized around a large temple to Ludrah.